Gerion Lannister (Ninclow)
Gerion Lannister is a member of House Lannister and is the youngest brother of Lord Tywin Lannister. Said to be a man quick to laugh and with a gift for making others laugh, his relationship with his oldest sibling was notoriously stormy, as the ruling lord of the westerlands long since had come to mistrust laughter, having heard too much of it directed at House Lannister in his youth as a result of their father's follies, whom in temperament Gerion resemble greatly. As such, Gerion's bright-eyed and bushy-tailed demeanor meant that Lord Tywin thought him unreliable and overlooked him for all positions of responsibility. The fact that Gerion never achieved, let alone sought to achieve, knighthood, also mean Tywin felt Gerion failed to live up to his duty of contributing to bringing further honors to their family name. In an effort to reconcile with him and prove his worrth, Gerion went on a quest to find the ancestral Valyrian steel sword of his house, Brightroar, and any other treasures that might have survived the Doom of Valyria two years after the suppression of Greyjoy's Rebellion. Almost a decade later, Lord Tywin sent men to look for him, but he was never found after trying to cross the Smoking Sea. History Early childhood Gerion Lannister was born at Casterly Rock in the summer of 255 AC as he fifth of Lord Tytos Lannister's children by his lady wife, Jeyne Marbrand. A happy, healthy little boy, the addition of yet another lion into the fold proved both a joy and a crisis for his family, because of his mother's passing within a moon's turn of his conception. Although Gerion was too young to remember that night, its aftermath left him with a bitter understanding of the fact that. while his Lord father had always been known as the Laughing Lion, after Jeyne's death no one could lay that claim by his feet anymore. The youngest and most reckless of the five siblings, Gerion's propensity for adventure and excitement was evident from an early age, often wandering off by himself to explore both the castle and its surrounding lands, believing it would allow him to learn all the secrets that the old Kings of the Rock might have left behind. Gerion could also recall several caged lions kept deep down in the bowels of Casterly Rock during his childhood, and being the only one that could reach into the cage and pet them without fear of losing an arm, which Tygett said was because 'the lions know to recognize its own kind', earning Gerion the epithets of "The Young Lion" which stuck with him until his sixteenth nameday. In his youth, his older brothers all used to take turns engaging the Cub of Casterly Rock in playing Come-into-my-castle, a game meant to teach highborn children about the virtue of courtesy, knowledge of heraldry, as well as the friends and foes of their house. Only a boy of five at the time of the War of the Ninepenny Kings, and as such unaccustomed to any sort of military conflict, the fifth rebellion of the exiled House Blackfyre came as a shock to the little lordling, whose existence with his family at Casterly Rock had hitherto been a relatively peaceful one.Their lord father sent a force of eleven thousand westermen under the command of his younger brother, Ser Jason Lannister, to fight beside the army of the Iron Throne. Upon receiving word that his uncle had perished on the field of battle, Gerion immediately told the measter to send a raven to the Stepstones on his behalf, pleading his older brothers, one of which was already a knight by then and accompanied by the other two as squires, to return to Casterly Rock, fearing they too would be put by the sword by the outlaws, exiles and sellswords who had journeyed all the way from Essos to make claim on the Seven Kingdoms. In response to his concerns for the well-being of his own blood, he received a raven of his own, remonstrating him for wasting his time whimpering when he should take pride in their contributions to the war effort, after which Gerion locked himself inside his room and refused to eat anything for two days. It is said that when all three of his brothers returned home safely, Tywin eventually had one of the household guards restrain him to stop the lad from hugging them all the time, much to their lord father's amusement. After their return, Gerion watched in awe as his brothers, now battle hardened from the war, restored House Lannister to its proper place, in awe over the ruthless efficiency with which Tywin, Kevan and Tygett brought a deceive end to the revolt of the two traitorous vassals of House Reyne and House Tarbeck when they renounced their fealty and rose against their liege lords due to the perceived weakness of House Lannister due to their father's misrule, and how they not only left their ruined and shattered castles as a mute testimony to the fate that awaits those who scorn the power of Casterly Rock, but also proceeded to rid the westerlands of robber knights and bandit outlaws and collected the outstanding debts owed to House Lannister. Through the efforts of Tywin in particular, their family continued to prosper for the next few years. In 262 AC, when he was no more than seven, Gerion saw Tywin off alongside his siblings and their lord father when he left for King's Landing to serve the newly crowned King Aerys, who had appointed him the Hand of the King. Gerion was always eager to receive words from the capital, where Tywin quickly had the nobles at court wonder if any other king had ever had so diligent or capable a Hand. Through his efforts, the realm prospered, and when Gerion had began to wonder whether or not life could not get any better for their family, when his lord father suddenly announced how the entirety of House Lannister would journey by horseback to the capital to attend Tywin's weeding to a Lannister cousin by the name Joanna, whom Gerion barely remembered vaguely from back when he was very little, until she went to visit King's Landing for the coronation of King Jaehaerys II Targaryen, and ended up staying as a lady-in-waiting for the future queen. As such, Gerion was present at the time of their wedding, a lavish ceremony in the Great Sept of Baelor. During the subsequent feast, Gerion, who was known by all living in Casterly Rock for his strong, sweet voice, paid tribute to the honor of Ser Tywin and his lady wife by singing The Rains of Castamere in the company of the present musicians. He later mischievously helped himself to some of the wine from Tywin's goblet when he was preoccupied dancing with his newly wedded, only for the then eight year old cub to find the beverage too sour for his liking, reacting so strongly that their lord several attendees, their lord father among them, roared with laughter. Even though Tywin himself did not look amused right there and then, and Gerion found himself spending the rest of the feast playing the part of cupbearer to the groom and his bride. Even so, it did not stop Tywin from later offering him another sip as a jest, much to Gerion's surprise. Shortly thereafter, it was later said within Gerion's earshot by his father's own bannermen that those who had beheld the proud young lions on the field of battle at the Stepstone might rightly have wondered how such could ever have sprung from the loins of the quivering fool beneath the Rock. Adopting this sentiment as his own after a bit of pondering, Gerion confided in his sister that he intended to sneak out in the dead of night and make his way by foot to their relatives in the city of Lannisport, where he vowed to stay until their spineless father's last day. In response to this, Genna told him that it was in truth by their father's detective that their brothers had gone to war, claiming Lord Tytos were advising the king himself, and the two of them had exchanged countless ravens throughout the war. While Gerion eventually came to recognize the truth, he appreciated the gesture, as it allowed him let go of his bitter resentment and remember the Laughing Lion more fondly after his passing. The later reign of Tytos Throughout his childhood, Tywin were never one to waste an opportunity to remind him Gerion that as a member of one of the Great Houses of Westeros, blessed to be born with the benefits of wealth and education, and that as such, the cub of Casterly Rock was still expected to lead his life as a credit to the Lannister name. From the time he could walk and talk, it became clear that Gerion would in all likelihood never be as serious and though-minded as either of his siblings, which is not to say his brothers, Tywin in particular, made every effort to rectify what they saw as the same weakness that inhabited their lord father.Trained with weapons by Ser Benedict Broom, the master-at-arms, Gerion were educated by Maester Volarik and t but unlike his brothers, all of which and there was When Gerion was no more than a babe, his lord father had taken his wet nurse Within a fortnight of House Lannister's return from the capital, the ruling lord of Casterly Rock had invited a second mistress into his bedchamber. When Gerion was ten years of age, he learned from his older brother Tygett that h It was not unheard of from highborn lords to lay with those of lesser standing, and sometimes if they were particularly unconcerned with the happiness of their lady wives, to lay with other women. Servant girls, The early reign of Tywin Like his brothers Kevan and Tygett, Gerion was overshadowed by their older brother Tywin. While his brothers and sister all had spent much of their formative years being forced to watch their mighty house nearly brought to ruin by their lord father, a man who, while an amiable and jovial gentleman at heart, also was weak-willed, eager to please and too trusting by half. Because of his youth, however, the littlest lion in the litter was very much unaware of how Lord Tytos were being ignored by his own bannermenn and even openly mocked at his own court. As a result, Gerion was very close to their lord father as a lad, whom in temperament he resembled more than he did his more dutiful and though-minded siblings, much to the chagrin of the the latter brother. When he was younger, Gerion saw how one brother tried to be his own man, only to grow increasingly bitter and angry as it dawned on him that he would never match the heir to Casterly Rock, and less than impressed with the other one's decision to build a life at Tywin's side, Gerion quickly decided against joining either of them. Taking a step back, Gerion eventually decided it would be much easier to simply mock the game rather than to play and lose. Even so, Coming of age tour Coming... Novice of Casterly Rock Coming... A quest of steel and smoke Coming... The lion's debt Coming... Qarro Volentin Coming... Appearance and Character Gerion is a strong and graceful man in his forties, with hair the color of beaten gold so long that it frames the sharp features of his still rather handsome face like curtains. He has flashing cat-green eyes that are flecked with gold and usually twinkle with kindness and mischief. When he became genuinely angry, however, people usually found his sudden likeness to his lord brother rather unnerving. More prideful than he would care to admit, Gerion often dons himself in the finest silks, samites, and velvets, and seldom seen without the Lannister colors of red or gold. An amiable and jovial gentleman, Gerion Lannister is a kindhearted, courteous, charming and soft-spoken, and often said to be a man quick to laugh and with a gift for making others laugh. Like his siblings, he is dutiful and tough-minded, but also possesses a propensity for adventure and excitement, and would sooner dream of seeing far off places than taking an interest in politics and court intrigue. In his youth, he was an adequate fighter, but not a warrior, much to the chagrin of Tywin, who believed Gerion and their lord father to be too much alike. Even so, Gerion he is still intelligent and well educated, and certainly sharper of wit and tongue than Tywin would be likely to give him credit for. While not as ruthless as Tywin, Gerion still has a manner which demands respect, and not above resorting to using his family name and enormous fortune to bolster his position. Fierce when angered, it is often said of Gerion Lannister that his kindly manner ought not to fool you, because 'a smiling lion still has claws'. Abilities While Gerion Lannister was an adequate fighter in his youth, he was of a more bookish bent than his older brother and never achieved knighthood, choosing instead to read the thrilling tales of adventurers and wishing to see the world himself. Even so, when he was not reading, there was few things he liked better than to run and ride and climb, meaning that even after training for battle eventually lost every appeal to him, he was still lithe and strong, often dropping his sword and running circles around the master-at-arms and older brother Tygett and Kevan while sparring.